Thursday, September 13, 2007

For those in the adoption comunity

I feel that recently I have been hearing of a lot of people not wanting to adopt from Haiti because their families or they themselves are worried about travel etc. So anyway I posted this on RQ site (a china adoption site that has other countries on it now as well) There was a discussion about how you shouldn't adopt from Haiti because of various reasons stated above. This just breaks my heart.

I have to proudly state that I completely disagree with everything that has been said. I spent a total of 5 weeks in Haiti during the adoption process. I felt safe the whole time. Haiti is very poor and it is sad what you will see. However the people are AMAZING! We have been to the beach, to Church, to the shopping area and to the grocery store MANY times. As far as no trips back I have been twice and already am thinking of taking Lilly back to visit. I speak to the Orphanage director as well as other moms from the Orphanage that Lilly is from daily. We know if we adopt again it will be a haitian child and from the same orphanage. Another important thing to note is that Very often you can meet the birth parents. You will know more about your childs medical history and you can keep in contact with their birth family!We had our baby home 8 months to the day I first called about her. Most people have a year to a year and a half wait to bring their child home. Yes, you do know who your child is most if not all of that time. However you will usually get your referral when or even before your dossier is turned in. So the wait is still half that of China if not a third of China's wait. Knowing your child and not being their every minute is torture for you in one respect. However there are no questions about how they are or what they are doing all day. Depending on the orphanage you choose to work with, it is possible to visit whenever you want. We have parents at our orphanage that visit once a month. And there are always new pictures and information about your child. You will see them grow. Lilly had NO adjustment issues when coming home. I spent a month their when I went to pick her up. Yes, that is longer than normal. However I think being with My DH and I and going to the Orphanage daily really made a difference in how she dealt with leaving. By the time we left I WAS HER MAMA and she was totally ready to go home. You can always ask questions about your child. Even if I called today and said when you had her did she do ..... they could tell me. In China we got nothing. Absolutely nothing! They handed us Rory and left. We figured it out, and after 3 days of screaming and greiving so much we were worried about her stability as well as our sanity. It did get better. But man I wish I could ask them questions over there!

If anyone has questions I am more than happy to answer then. Please don't rule out the children on Haiti because you heard that it is a scary. Inner cities are far more dangerous that a guest house in Haiti.place. Please feel free to look at my blog and read about our journey.

We've known we would adopt from Haiti for seven years but just began the process in February. There was a bit of initial fear about going there (due to the travel advisories) but it subsided completely when we saw our son's picture! And our orphanage takes families down all the time with no problems at all. So I'm absolutely thrilled to be going next month to meet my little guy. :o)

Thanks for your post. I hope it has encouraged others to consider Haiti.

Heidi,Thank you for your post on Haiti!I'm 15 and my little sister is adopted from China but for some time now I have had a desire to go to Haiti and volunteer in an orphanage there. What orphanage is Lilly adopted from? Both Lilly and Rory are such GORGEOUS little girls!! I love following your blog! :)~StaciP.S. Would you mind if I link to you off of my little sister Sarah's blog?

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About Me

My husband, Brandon and I have 3 girls.Our baby girl from China, Aurora Grace. One 2 year old from Haiti, Lilly and Alexei who is thrilled to have 2 little sisters. This is our blog of our adventures in the world as a family of 5. We love to travel.